Download AP Environmental Science

AP Environmental Science
Calhoun High School
Instructor:
Term:
Text:
Mr. Stephen Stewart
Fall 2016/Spring 2017
Living in the Environment; Miller 18th Edition
email:
Remind:
AP Exam:
[email protected]
81010, @stewapes
May 1, 2017 (Monday); $93
Course Description: The goal of AP Environmental Science is to provide students with rigorous understanding of the
interrelationships of the natural world. Using contextual themes of energy, human intervention, and the Earth’s dynamic
systems, students will identify and analyze environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these
problems and examine solutions. The course is designed to prepare students to take the AP Environmental Science Exam
in May. The course will include lectures, field investigations, scientific journal article reviews, and laboratory exercises
paralleling those in a first year college Environmental Science course. Though the course is content-heavy, conceptual
understanding of the core themes is paramount to being a successful student. In addition to using resources such as the
textbook and lecture content, students will be expected to participate in extensive lab activities and engage in peer
debates. This course adheres to the objectives instituted by the College Board for all AP Environmental Science and
includes the following themes.
• Science as a process
• Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
• The Earth itself is one interconnected system
• Humans alter natural systems
• Environmental problems have a cultural and social context
• Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
Course Prerequisites: Biology, Physical Science, Algebra
It is the expectation that all students enrolled in AP Environmental Science take the AP Exam in May.
AP Environmental Science will include the following topics:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Earth Systems and Resources
The Living World
Population
Land and Water Use
Energy Resources and Consumption
Pollution
Global Change
Keys to Your Success
*This is a laboratory course in which you are expected to follow scientific methodologies, collect data and make accurate
hypotheses.
*The AP Environment Science exam contains several question items involving math. Calculators are not allowed on the
APES exam. Students will be required to display high level math and problem solving skills where all work will be shown.
*Our text will be used as a resource as will more current information found online and local news outlets.
The objectives of this course are that each student shall:
 Demonstrate skills using various types of instrumentation and scientific methodologies
 Learn how to read and critique scientific research articles in the field of Environmental Science
 Practice using data collected to solve scientific problems and,
 Apply their knowledge and critical thinking to current social concerns.
Grading: Tests – 45%, Laboratory activities – 25%, Classwork and quizzes – 10%, Final Exam – 20%
Scoring Components (look for these in the course outline below)
SC1 The course provides instruction in Earth Systems.
SC2 The course provides instruction in Earth Resources.
SC3 The course provides instruction in the Living World.
SC4 The course provides instruction in Population.
SC5 The course provides instruction in Land Use.
SC6 The course provides instruction in Water Use.
SC7 The course provides instruction in Energy Resources.
SC8 The course provides instruction in Energy Consumption.
SC9 The course provides instruction in Pollution.
SC10 The course provides instruction in Global Change.
SC11 The course provides students with the scientific principles required to understand the interrelationships of
the natural world and draws upon various scientific disciplines.
SC12 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting information.
SC13 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting experimental data.
SC14 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting mathematical calculations.
SC15 The course teaches students how to identify and analyze environmental problems.
SC16 The course teaches students how to critically examine various solutions for resolving or preventing
environmental problems by evaluating the associated ecological risks and human health risks.
SC17 The course includes a laboratory and/or field investigation component. A minimum of one class period, or
its equivalent, per week is spent engaged in laboratory and/or fieldwork.
Labs: We are fortunate that our school sits in an area with multiple creeks and a large river. We
will take advantage of this by performing multiple labs and case studies on this resource. We are
also fortunate that we have access to farms and municipal facilities that we can use for testing.
*We will be leaving school quite often by bus to get to these lab locations.
*We will have at least one lab each week during our 75 minute block. The labs are listed below by
content unit. *Homework assignments may count as lab grades.
Course Outline-First Semester
Topic
Duration
1. Introduction of
3 weeks
Environmental
Problems
Where are we now, and where
do we want to go?
What is the APES exam?
Problem solving.
One Class Period of Each Week Will Include a Full Lab Day
Week 1-Lab: 1. Campus Biodiversity Survey. One Group per: trees, weeds, animals.
Compare/Contrast groups.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Sampling Oothacalooga Creek Stream Characteristics—On-site
Components: pH, Turbidity, visual assessment.
Week 3-Lab 3: Carrying capacity activity with oak trees and acorns.
Use campus Water Oaks.
2. Matter and Energy
Resources
2 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Energy of Fast Food
Students supply their favorite food!
Week 2-Lab: 2. Food Web/Trophic Level Design
One group per continent.
3. Living World: [SC3]
Ecosystems and
Ecosystem
3 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Pond Ecology
Compare to Oothacalooga Creek: pH, turbidity, visual assessment.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Primary productivity lab.
Self-contained kit. Groups of two.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Flinn Leaf Pack investigation lab. Also use Oothacalooga Creek.
4. Population Studies
[SC4] • Population Biology
4 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Life in a Square Meter
Using PVC meter square—catalog vacant lot adjacent to campus.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Barn Owl Ecology
Regional ecology analysis or small mammals/birds. Compare.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Students will design experiments using salt as a limiting factor in
brine shrimp population.
Week 4-Lab: 4. Students will access the outcomes due to conditions in lab 3 in
Microscopy lab and present write-ups next week.
5. Earth Systems [SC1]
and Resources [SC2] •
4 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Local soils. Extension agent field trip. Students will work with local
Soil conservationist in soil gathering and analysis on-site.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Soil Productivity Soil gathered during Lab 1 will be analyzed in the
Lab for water holding capacity, ions, compaction, etc.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Students will perform a GIS lab analysis. Using the local GIS and soil
Charts, students will decide where to place homes, crops, commercial blds.
Week 4-Lab: 4. Salinization Lab: Students will design their own experiments to test
the affect of salinization on seed germination.
3 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Georgia Invasives. In the field analysis of the biodiversity of invasive
Plant species of a successional lot off-campus. Chart and plot.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Track, plot, assess the path of a Pacific typhoon in real time.
Students will research the human/environmental effects of a typhoon.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Airborne particulate Lab: Students will hang sticky boards. In the
Lab students will analyze and count particulates per square cm.
19 weeks
Extra week built-in in case we have time.
Processes Dynamics, food chains
and webs, and
flow of energy, biomes
and
Population Dynamics What
causes changes in ecosystems
• Human Population
Demography and population
distribution
Earth Science Plate tectonics, the
rock cycle, weathering and
erosion, volcanoes and
earthquakes, natural disasters,
mining and minerals • Soil
Structure of soil, erosion,
desertification, and conservation
• Climate and Weather Global air
circulation, ocean currents
6. Global Changes [SC10]
• Loss of Biodiversity Endangered
plants and animals • Global
Warming and Ozone Depletion
Causes and solutions
End of First Semester
Lab Reports/Lab Notebooks: All of the work done in preparation, during, and after the lab will be incorporated into a lab
notebook. A post-lab report will be completed for the majority of labs. The format of each lab report may be different
(papers, poster presentations, tri-folds, self-assessments, etc.), but the formal lab report will have elements in common
for all labs. Guidelines will be provided.
Course Outline-Second Semester
Topic
Duration
One Class Period of Each Week Will Include a Full Lab Day
Week 1-Lab: 1. Home Energy Audit: Students will research energy usage and
7. Energy Resources
3 weeks
evaluate their home for energy use.
[SC7] and Consumption
Week
2-Lab:
2. Energy use calculations. Students will research a given country and
[SC8] • Renewable Energy
Its natural resources, then calculate energy potential and assess env. Impacts.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Tesla Lab. Students will get a hands-on experience with a Tesla
Owner. Car on-site. Lab will include students researching, comparing, and
Contrasting electric vs. fossil fuel cars.
Alternative sources of energy;
Nonrenewable Energy, Energy
consumption and conservation
issues
5 weeks
Week 1-Lab 1. Nature Conservancy Fieldtrip. Students will visit Nature
Conservancy biologist on-site and assist in stream sampling.
Week 2- Lab 2. Chemical analysis of Oothacalooga Creek. Use Flinn Kit.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Acid Rain Lab. Using student vehicles to assess acid rain producing
Chemicals.
Week 4-Lab: 4.First Site-Before Carpet Mill. Macro invertebrate Sample of
Oothacalooga Creek. Collect and Identify invertebrates.
Week 5-Lab: 5. Second Site-After Carpet Mill. Macro invertebrate Sample of
Oothacalooga Creek. Collect and Identify invertebrates.
9. Land and Water Use
[SC5] & [SC6]
2 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Water flow rate/Turbidity/Sus Solids—Oothacalooga Creek on-site—
1st Site.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Water flow rate/Turbidity/Sus Solids —Oostanaula River on-site—
2nd Site.
10. Land and Water
Management Use,
2 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Compare to Creek to River Previous Labs, plot to graph.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Suspended solids/Fecal Coliform Analysis of creek behind chicken
and cattle farm—On-site.
2 weeks
Week 1-Lab: 1. Fall/Spring Comparison Square Meter. Access the same plot as fall.
Week 2-Lab: 2. New Construction Comparison. Survey the school’s new
construction site to evaluate its impact on the local environment—Qualitative
analysis.
Week 1-Lab: 1. Create edible soil profiles.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Agriculture Impact Analysis: Visit cotton farm with Nature
Conservancy Biologist—Assist with chemical analysis of drainage ditches.
Week 3-Lab: 3. Flinn Duckweed Investigation.
8. Pollution [SC9] • Human
Health Toxic and hazardous
substances, diseases and risk
analysis • Air Pollution Outdoor
and indoor air pollution • Water
Pollution Water sources and types
of pollution • Toxic and Solid
Waste Disposal, regulations,
prevention • Pesticides History,
problems, and alternatives
conservation, problems, and
wilderness
11. Preserving Diversity
Human encroachment and
sustainable management
12. Food Production
2 weeks
Biological, physical, and social
boundaries
13. Economics, Politics,
Ethics and the
Environment Dealing with
2 weeks
environmental policy, problem
solving, and environmental
education
End of Second Semester
Week 1-Lab: 1. Calculating septic system requirements. Look at local regulations for
individual family homes. Students will calculate septic requirements based on soil
horizons.
Week 2-Lab: 2. Students will make poster flowcharts to show/follow current
environmental legislation as it moves through congress. Showing ecological and
monetary impacts.
18 weeks
AP Exam: The exam is three hours long and has two parts — multiple choice questions and free response questions. The
multiple choice section is worth 60% and the free response section is worth 40% of the final exam grade.




Section I: Multiple Choice — 100 questions; 1 hour and 30 minutes
The portion of multiple choice questions covering each course topic area is:
Earth Systems and Resources (10%–15%)
The Living World (10–15%)
Population (10%–15%)
Land and Water Use (10%–15%)






Energy Resources and Consumption (10%–15%)
Pollution (25%–30%)
Global Change (10%–15%)
Total scores on the multiple-choice section are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not
deducted for incorrect answers and no points are awarded for unanswered questions.
Section II: Free Response — 4 Questions; 1 hour and 30 minutes
The free response section contains three types of questions:
1 document-based question in which you’ll answer questions related to a given document (e.g., pamphlet, newspaper
article, or advertisement)
1 data set question in which you’ll analyze and interpret a given set of data
2 synthesis and evaluation questions which will be in-depth, multipart essays
The free response section emphasizes the application of principles. You'll need to demonstrate your reasoning and
analytical skills, as well as your ability to synthesize material from several sources into cogent and coherent essays.
Attendance and Makeup Work: Absences and tardies will be dealt with as per school policy. Daily, punctual attendance
is extremely important to your success in this course. Lab work must be made up within a day or two upon returning to
school. Some lab materials will not keep beyond the day of the laboratory. Some labs require extensive teacher
preparation. Therefore, not all labs can be made up. DO NOT MISS LAB DAYS.
Electronic Device Policy: Some personal electronic devices (such as cell phones) will occasionally be incorporated into
classroom use. However, students are NOT permitted to use such devices unless instructed to do so. Texting during class
is unacceptable. Devices of any type being used without permission will be confiscated for the remainder of the class
period on the first offense. Thereafter, devices will be taken to the office.
Lab Safety Contract:
General Rules
1. Conduct yourself responsibly in this class. Horseplay and pranks are not appropriate behavior in a science classroom.
2. Follow all written and verbal instructions carefully. Ask questions if you do not understand.
3. Do not touch any equipment or materials before instructed to do so.
4. NO FOOD IN THE LAB!!!
5. Never start the lab unless you have received prior approval from the teacher.
6. Always read the lab instructions before you perform a lab.
7. Keep your work area neat and clean.
8. Always replace the cap on a bottle.
9. Know the location and operation of all safety equipment.
10. Do not run in the lab.
11. Notify the teacher if an unsafe condition exists in the classroom.
12. Dispose of all chemicals as directed by the teacher.
13. Keep your hands away from your face while doing labs.
14. Always wash your hands after the clean-up is complete.
15. Rinse out all glassware and leave it to dry in the designated locations.
16. Stay at your lab bench during labs.
17. Know what to do if there is a fire drill.
18. Immediately report ALL injuries, no matter how minor, to the teacher.
19. Use the eyewash or shower if you are splashed with a chemical.
20. Rules may be modified for specific lab situations.
Clothing
1. Safety glasses must be worn when specified by the teacher. 2. Avoid wearing contact lenses when using caustic
chemicals.
3. Tie long hair back.
4. Do not wear long dangling jewelry.
5. Always wear closed-toe shoes.
Handling Chemicals
1. Always assume that the chemicals are hazardous.
2. Double-check the label before using a chemical.
3. Take only the amount of chemical you will use.
4. Never return unused chemicals to their original container.
5. Never put a chemical near your nose or mouth.
6. Never remove chemicals or other materials from the lab.
7. Always hold the chemical bottles with two hands when transporting them.
Handling Glassware
1. Never handle broken glass.
2. If a piece of glassware breaks, notify the teacher immediately.
3. Always inspect glassware before use. Never use chipped or cracked glassware.
Heating Substances
1. Use caution when heating something with a Bunsen burner.
2. Do not put any substance in the flame, and always light the burner at arm’s length.
3. Never leave a lit burner unattended.
4. Never look into a container that is being heated.
Electrical Safety
1. Never put anything other than an electrical plug into an electrical outlet.
2. Always remove an electric plug from a socket by grasping and pulling the plug itself. Do not pull on the electrical cord.
Consequences: Failure to conduct yourself safely, respectfully, and in accordance with safety rules may result in
detention, being restricted from conducting labs, failure, and/or removal from the classroom.
Academic Integrity Statement: CHEATING
High integrity and academic honesty is expected. Students should not do anything that would bring their integrity into
question. All assessments (homework, labs, quizzes, exams, projects, etc) are expected to be completed only by the
student. Collaboration and teamwork is allowed on most labs, but individual work should ALWAYS be distinctly original
from the lab partner’s work or only partial credit will be earned. Always properly cite and credit sources that are not
your own (text, data, pictures, etc). Students copying and students allowing others to copy their work are both
academically dishonest. Copying work, full or in part, is in violation of ----- High School’s academic honesty policy and
students sharing test information between classes are also in violation of the academic honesty policy. Dishonesty is not
tolerated and will always result in a “0” on that test or assignment, an office referral, and possible removal from the
National Honor Society and other such organizations. DON’T DO IT!
EXPECTATIONS: As a student in this advanced course of study you are expected to be polite to and courteous to those
around you; be prepared for class every day. Lastly, to be successful in this course your attendance is very important; it
will be very difficult for you make-up laboratory and field activities.
Students caught cheating on exams, labs, and classwork will lose credit for that assignment and will be referred to the
office.
Student Signature: ________________________________________ Date: ______________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________ Date: ______________
Remind101: